Game Time

By The Editors
September 25, 2014 9:00 am

Sometimes all a man needs is a night to blow off steam with the fellas. Y’know: uninhibited carousing followed by curbside tacos at two in the morning.

That time is now. On our menu: three new spots in River North that’ll guide you from happy hour to last call. Here’s your plan.

The Dinner

Start the night out at the Highline Bar + Lounge, a new resto from the Benchmark and Trellis guys. Same elevated bar vibe. It’s got a number of flat screens for your sporting pleasure, plus leather-clad booths where you can enjoy Korean steak tacos and ice-cold Lagunitas IPAs on tap.

The Entertainment

After dinner, take a walk to the newly opened HQ Beercade River North, a 14,000-square-foot game room lined with more than 65 vintage arcade and pinball cabinets  from Punch Out to Wayne Gretzky HockeyBeer and food menu surpasses the Lakeview locale by far. Proof is in the deviled eggs.

The Closer

Late night, stumble down to Mercadito Counter for some post-game grub. Serving food until 4 a.m. on the weekends, Mercadito’s menu includes mutant hot dogs like the Mole-Q: a smoked-then-fried pork dog with jalapeño slaw and crispy onion strings. Also: tacos. Wash it all down with cocktails from the tap and call it a night.

EMAIL IS THE NEW HAPPY HOUR

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